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thegreenhowards

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  1. If I can weigh in on this too, then I would say 1) is possible, but often not achieved; and 2) nearly always. The ‘Chuff rate’ is programmable on modern chips, certainly the more expensive ones. However many people just fit and forget rather than taking the time to change one CV (CV 267 on Zimo) to get the correct rate. It needs to be finessed because different locos will have different gearing etc. On my O gauge locos this is particularly important as the chuff rate is normally roughly set for 00 and the larger diameter wheels mean they chuff far too frequently. As for coasting, there all decent modern chips will do this, but early DCC sound didn’t do this and maybe some current cheaper ones still don’t. I particularly like ‘active drive’ available on Zimo and ESU (maybe others) where shutting off means the loco coasts with just some clanking and slows down very slowly (just like on the real thing) and one applies a separate button to brake (with appropriate noises). Andy
  2. Thanks Peter, I will interrogate G&H on the subject of rollers. Andy
  3. Thanks Rob, The base is chicken wire covered with plaster bandage and painted to seal it. Then I use layers of static grass from WWS, starting with 2mm and then different colours of 4mm and 6mm grass. These are scrunched up with my fingers between layers to give the rough look. Between each layer I spray with cheap hairspray. The rhodendendron is woodland scenics tree armatures bent out fairly flat. Then dark green clump material from woodland scenics. The pinky purple blossom is made from kids wax crayon put in the freezer overnight then grated with a cheese grater (when my wife is out!). This is attached to the trees with scenic cement sprayed on. The gorse is light green clump material with yellow crayon. Most of the trees are from a ‘Forest in a box’ which is a large pack of sea foam. These are soaked to make them pliable the sprayed with scenic cement and covered with a mid green flock. I put several stems in a hole on the side nearer the camera to represent Sycamore coppice which seemed to be prevalent here. The bigger trees are stems made from Hebe in the garden with smaller bits of seafoam attached with hobby tac. The bramble is rubberised horse hair with ‘bramble’ flock over the top. The other shrubby weeds are small dead heads of sedum and astilbe from the garden, dipped in Modge Podge Matt medium and covered with different flocks. The fence, which is a bit more wonky than I’d like, is cocktail sticks and cotton with the corner posts from firework rocket stems. I hope that’s useful - is there anything I’ve missed? Andy
  4. Thanks ‘GWR57xx’, I appreciate the thought and effort which must have gone into that post. I intend to use a much bigger central bearing like this one. https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Aluminum-Turntable-Dining-Table/dp/B0CDT8DG6S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=38LSB3H9M7VXG&keywords=last%2Bsusan%2Bswivel%2Bbase&qid=1707752141&sprefix=Last%2Bsusan%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1 It claims to take 200 KG, so even if I filled the turntable with nothing but Heljan 37s, I’d only use half its capacity! Yes, you’re right about the 15 degrees and symmetrical nature of the turntable. The support underneath would just be in line with the turntable rather than right round. G&H do not recommend rollers. They suggest instead that the layers fit closely and are polished (beeswax?) for low friction movement. I’m slightly sceptical about this, but will probably follow their advice. A physical stop at the end is definitely required. Not least because DCC sound fitted locos have lots of momentum. I’ll ask G&H to engineer one in. Andy
  5. I’ve now broken the back of the eastern station throat board. It’s difficult to know exactly what level of undergrowth I should be aiming at, as every photo I find is a bit different. I suspect there was less tree growth back in the ‘80s than there is now, but there was still some. Although more recent, this gives an idea of what I am aiming at. And although the gorse wasn’t in bloom here, this is more in era. A few days ago, my board was just plain grass. I’ve added a lot of weeds/ undergrowth and trees, plus a fence and some sheep. Not sure about the sheep, but they illustrate the point of the cattle creep. I’ve also laid my first stretch of point rodding. This is the Wills OO product, which everyone says is over scale for OO. So I thought I’d try it in O gauge. To my untrained eye it looks OK. But it was very fiddly, so before I do any more, I’d welcome other peoples thoughts on it. Andy
  6. Thanks for the photo. It always gives me a buzz to see something I built running round PN.
  7. I only have a basic sketch at the moment, with a full drawing promised in the next week. But from that it looks like he’s proposing a c.100mm deep framed ply baseboard for the turntable deck. I’m sure I could add some weight in the centre to move the centre of gravity if necessary.
  8. I’ve never built or operated one either. I just think that they’re a very neat solution which avoids handling stock. I have seen 8’ turntables on O gauge exhibition layouts like Kensington Addison Road and they seem to work well. I think that inevitably all the trains will point the same way at some point. They should all face the layout to start with. One then runs through the contents of the turntables with all the locos ending at the outside ends. Then the turntables are rotated and one starts again.
  9. You may well be right Rob. I probably am being greedy. I plan to run it as a through the ages sequence starting in the early ‘50s with a V4 and Thompsons …moving through green diesels. ..and ending with 37/4s in the late ‘80s. I should really stop with RETB in Dec 1987 but I like triple grey livery so I may push it a bit. I seem to have about 16 trains at the moment….but I keep buying more! Unlike your layout on the WHL proper, there aren’t really enough trains on the extension to maintain interest for a full day’s operation if I stick rigidly to one year. The alternatives would be to concentrate on either 50/60s or 70/80s for any particular exhibition or to incorporate some form of cassette system into the turntable. One also has to leave a spare road on the turntable so that trains from one end have somewhere to go. So a 4 Road turntable would mean 7 trains in total. Andy
  10. Meanwhile I’ve been ‘weedifying’ another board.
  11. That’s the big issue Ian and I’m nervous about it, but the guy at Grainge and Hodder thinks it will be OK. Each Heljan diesel can weigh up to 3KG so I could have 21KG hanging off the end. The plan is to use a large lazy Susan (24” diameter) in the middle. And of course, the coaches aren’t light so will balance the weight a bit. If the engineers amongst you think that’s impractical, please shout now! Andy
  12. Changing the subject completely, I have been thinking about how the layout will operate when exhibited. In the garden it plugs into a circuit, but for exhibition use, I'll need a fiddle yard or two. I've been talking to Grainge and Hodder about their turntable baseboards. They have been very helpful and have drawn up bespoke design for a2400mm (8 foot) turntable with 7 tracks as shown below. I would need two of these which would fit onto my layout as shown below. I think this will work well. It gives a total layout size of 11.3m x 5m, but this could be a corner plot of 11.3m X 3M and 5m x 3m. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on the practicality of this and any other ideas. Andy
  13. Thanks Rob, A great video which I don’t think I’ve seen before. It’s useful confirmation that the Glenfinnan platform seats were painted the darker of the two green colours. And the waiting shelter had been touched up in a particularly bilious version of the lighter green which looks distinctly yellow. I also noted how yellow the gorse looked. That makes me comfortable with my rather bright wax crayon shavings to represent the gorse on my layout. Andy
  14. Mmm, I might have to add that to the shopping list!
  15. Useful shots. Thanks for sharing. I’m just tackling the vegetation and fence shown in the third shot, so very timely. Andy
  16. You were obviously in the posh seats! I was in the bashers coach on the end. I’ve now had a photo through from my friend with confirmation that it was top and tail in both directions. The train was well off the platform at Mallaig. It couldn’t wait in the station as a sprinter was due and our train blocked the whole station, so it went out to Arisaig where the sprinter passed westbound and returned eastbound. The stock then went back into Mallaig for the return journey. So no elaborate shunting at Mallaig on this train. Andy
  17. I’m afraid I’m in agreement with NHN, the V2 is perfect is every respect. D16s are quite cute and 4-4-0s in general are more interesting than 4-6-0s, but they look a bit ‘fuddy duddy’ to me. The V2 looks well proportioned, purposeful and graceful. The best locos….. until Deltic came along!
  18. I was on the Pathfinder tour in April 2016 with 37610 and 409. Unfortunately I didn’t do the stretch outward from Fort William to Mallaig as I decided that wasn’t a good use of a day. Instead I got the morning sprinter to Glenfinnan and climbed the two Munros behind the Glenfinnan viaduct. I then caught the evening sprinter to Arisaig where the tour and my friends were waiting to run back to Mallaig, and then Mallaig to Fort William. The tour had to vacate the platform at Mallaig for a service train. By that stage the tour was in top and tail formation. 37619 led back into Mallaig and then 409 took the whole formation back to Fort William. Here’s a photo of the train at Arisaig waiting to go back to Mallaig. I’ll see if my friends have any pictures of the run round at Mallaig. Andy
  19. I presume that with longer trains the front loco came off shortly before arrival at Mallaig. And was then used for shunt releasing the other loco. That’s just a guess based on what happens elsewhere, so if anyone knows for sure I’d be interested. Andy
  20. Thanks Ian, It’s clear that ‘blue is the colour’! But I haven’t seen that circular design before. I was intending to go for the more conventional design in John’s post earlier. Andy
  21. Hi Stuart, That fits with my understanding. I think two six coach trains can pass at Glenfinnan, but anything longer won’t fit in the loop. I also understood that the run round at Mallaig would only take six, but I can’t remember where I read that. The Jacobite now runs to seven coaches so presumably the run round has been lengthened. Would pilot engines have come off at Glenfinnan? I’d have thought that they would work through from Mallaig to Fort William. It would be an interesting thing to include on the layout sequence if it did happen. Regards Andy
  22. Like this you mean? In case the resolution is too poor to let you see, the coach numbers are in line with your list: 4643 4243 9312 (the transfer seems to have fallen off the side you can see - another one for the to do list!) 4050 I have a fifth TSO, but that won’t fit on the viaduct which is the only part of my railway which ‘over-winters’. From your description of the livery, I should probably darken the rooves. They are due some weathering anyway. Andy
  23. To be honest Andy, when I posted that question, I was hoping that you or Rob would leap straight in with, ‘this is what I used’! I hadn’t heard of the Rainbow Railways colours but thanks for steering me away from them. I’m glad it’s been a a useful debate for more than just me. Thanks again Stuart for your input. Andy
  24. Six coaches would take it past the platform starter, but not as far as blocking the loop the other way. Two six coach trains can pass at Glenfinnan…just. I'm modelling 1985 for my West Highlander - the first year of the green and cream Mk1s. It looked red in the black and white photos, but I’ve now found colour ones on Google which suggest blue would be correct for 1985. Should have done my homework more diligently. Thanks! Andy
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